AP Lang Vocab and Rhetorical Devices

Proprietary

Relating to an owner or ownership

Niche

A comfortable or suitable position in life or employment

Sporadic

Occurring at irregular intervals or only in a few places; scattered or isolated

Disparage

Regard or represent as being of little worth

Intrinsic

Belonging naturally; essential

Contingency

A future event or circumstance which is possible but cannot be predicted with certainty

Sinecure

A position requiring little or no work but giving the holder status of financial benefit

Context

The setting (both in time and place) and relevant current and cultural events in which a piece of writing or speech takes place

Exigence

An issue, problem, or situation, that causes or prompts someone to write or speak; the reason a message is being produced at the time

Purpose

What the author is try to accomplish through their writing (often starts with a verb, such as to persuade, to inform, to educate, to criticize, etc.); texts can and often will have multiple purposes

Abstemious

Not self-indulgent, especially when eating or drinking

Belie

(of an appearance) fail to give a true notion or impression of (something); disguise or contradict

Reticent

Not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily

Ineffable

Too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words

Fastidious

Very attentive to and concerned about accuracy and detail

Quandary

A state of perplexity or uncertainty over what to do in a difficult situation

Raucous

Making or constituting a disturbingly harsh and loud noise

Anaphora

Repetition of the same word or group of words at the beginning of successive clauses/sentences

Parallelism

Similarity of structure in a pair or series of related words, phrases, or clauses

Hyperbole

The use of exaggerated terms for the purpose of emphasis or heightened effect

Spurious

not being what it purports to be; false or fake

Ostensibly

apparently or purportedly, but perhaps not actually

Querulous

complaining in a petulant or whining manner

Somnolent

sleepy; drowsy

Mélange

a mixture; a medley

Pugnacious

eager or quick to argue, quarrel, or fight

Languid

(of a person, manner, or gesture) displaying or having a disinclination for physical exertion or effort; slow and relaxed

Chiasmus

the order of the terms in the first of two parallel clauses is reversed in the second

Zeugma

a single word is used with two other parts of a sentence but must be understood differently in relation to each

Litotes

understatement employed for rhetorical effect, often via double negatives

Perfunctory

(of an action or gesture) carried out with a minimum of effort or relection

Benign

Gentle and kindly

Rancor

Bitterness or resentfulness, especially when long-standing

Inveterate

Having a particular habit, activity, or interest that is long-established and unlikely to change

Tacit

Understood or implied without being stated

Vociferous

(especially of a person or speech) vehement or clamorous

Furtive

Attempting to avoid notice or attention, typically because of guilt or belief that discovery would lead to trouble; secretive

Antithesis

The juxtaposition of contrasting ideas, often in parallel structure

Climax

Writer arranges ideas in order of increasing importance

Apostrophe

The speaker breaks off from addressing the audience and directs speech elsewhere

Intransigence

Refusal to change one's views or to agree about something

Chagrin

Distress or embarrassment at having failed or been humiliated

Predilection

A preference or special liking for something; a bias in favor of something

Incontrovertible

Not able to be denied or disputed

Equivocate

Use ambiguous language so as to conceal the truth or avoid committing oneself

Incongruous

Not in harmony or keeping with the surroundings or other aspects of something

Acquiesce

Accept something reluctantly but without protest

Paradox

A statement that appears to be false or contradictory but, on inspection, reveals a deeper truth

Assonance

The repetition of the same or similar vowel sound within words

Consonance

The repetition of the same or similar consonant sound in words; differs from alliteration in that it is not just at the beginning of words

Sidle

Walk in a furtive, unobtrusive or timid manner, especially sideways or obliquely

Solipsism

The view or theory that the self is all that can be known to exist

Enigmatic

Difficult to interpret or understand; mysterious

Prerogative

A right or privilege exclusive to a particular individual or class

Euphemism

A mild or indirect word or expression substituted for one considered to be too harsh or blunt when referring to something unpleasant or embarrassing

Slovenly

(especially of a person or their appearance) messy and dirty; (especially of a person or action) careless; excessively casual

Venerable

Accorded a great deal of respect, especially because of age, wisdom, or character

Cacophony

An arrangement of words that is harsh, unmelodious, and jarring

Synecdoche

A type of metaphor in which the part stands for the whole or the whole for a part

Anadiplosis

The repetition of the last word or phrase of one line or clause to begin the next

Cavort

Jump or dance around excitedly

Emphatic

Showing or giving emphasis; expressing something forcibly and clearly

Pallor

An unhealthy pale appearance

Furor

An outbreak of public anger or excitement

Brusque

Abrupt or offhand in speech or manner

Respite

A short period of rest or relief from something difficult or unpleasant

Incendiary

(of a device or attack) designed to cause fires

Synesthesia

When one kind of sensory stimulus evokes the subjective experience of another; in literature, the practice of associating two or more different senses in the same image

Invective

An emotionally violent, verbal denunciation or attack using strong, abusive language

Voice

The quality of a verb that indicates whether its subject acts or is acted upon; the overall sound of a writer’s style, created by the speaker/narrator of the work

Frivolity

lack of seriousness; lightheartedness

Insidious

proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects

Embroiled

involve (someone) deeply in an argument, conflict, or difficult situation

Vigilance

the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties

Careened

move swiftly and in an uncontrolled way in a specified direction

Belligerent

hostile and aggressive

Vicarious

experienced in the imagination through the feelings or actions of another person

Cumulative Sentence

a sentence that completes the main idea at the beginning of the sentence and then builds and adds on; begins with an independent clause, followed by a series of subordinate phrases or clauses

Periodic Sentence

a sentence whose main clause is withheld until the end; creates a climactic effect

Hortative Sentence

a sentence that exhorts, urges, entreats, implores, or calls to action

Ostentatious

characterized by vulgar or pretentious display; designed to impress or attract notice

Surreptitiously

in a way that attempts to avoid notice or attention; secretively

Tenuous

very weak or slight

Affable

friendly, good-natured, or easy to talk to

Behoove

a duty or responsibility for someone to do something; incumbent on

Facetious

treating serious issues with deliberately inappropriate humor; flippant

Acumen

the ability to make good judgments and quick decisions, typically in a particular domain.

Wit

intellectually amusing language that surprises and delights

Aposiopesis

an unfinished thought or broken sentence

Malapropism

an absurd or humorous misuse of a word, especially by confusion with one of similar sound

Importune

harass (someone) persistently for or to do something

Censure

express severe disapproval of (someone or something), especially in a formal statement

Scrupulous

(of a person or process)diligent, thorough, and extremely attentive to details

Despondent

in low spirits from loss of hope or courage

Inducement

a thing that persuades or influences someone to do something

Brevity

concise and exact use of words in writing or speech

Prodigious

remarkably or impressively great in extent, size, or degree

Satire

a work that targets human vices and follies or social institutions and conventions in order to ridicule or incite reform

Irony

the contrast between what is stated explicitly and what is really meant, or the difference between what appears to be and what is actually true

Sarcasm

bitter, caustic language that is meant to hurt or ridicule someone or something

* a type of verbal irony, it can be witty and insightful when done well, or simply cruel